Generally, when traveling, one seeks to either expand or directly engage their interests, thus, during my stay in Barcelona, I thought it compulsory to find some genuine pizza. Ultimately one of my more memorable, meal-oriented moments in Barcelona was my experience at La Bella Napoli, which seems to be the only overtly Neapolitan pizza establishment in the city.
Though its location is just off the major Parallel Avenue, the building is tucked away in such a way that one might miss it entirely if strolling around by night. The establishment seems to benefit from this location however, because they catch plenty of business while also avoiding the mad throngs throughout the city’s other main drags (it was never terribly busy the two times we visited).
Pizza is certainly pronounced in their menu, but they also offer appealing pastas and appetizers along with a moderately priced wine and bear list, as well as coffee and dessert. We began the meal with Catalonian beers and a formidable ball of buffalo mozzarella, which was also served with fresh tomatoes, arugula and a touch of olive oil. This mozzarella, in addition to the mozz served on the pizza, was certainly the best buffalo mozz I have experienced thus far: great texture and moisture ratio (i.e. no too wet) and a rich and mildly gamy taste. On our second visit we also ordered the very popular fish fry that one can find throughout the city (small, fried fish which one eats in their entireties).
The pizzas were not short of fantastic. The pies accorded with the traditional, ‘oven kissed,’ modestly topped Neapolitan way (in lieu of aggressive charring due to longer exposure high temp/coal or wood fired ovens). The crust had the wonderful, rich and fermented flavor of naturally leavened bread and the toppings were top quality. The pies were soupy in the center and lent themselves to consumption entirely with fork and knife. The combination of proper temperature, flavor ratios, and the semi-soupy centers to the contrasting cornicone/rim/crumb textures, produced a dynamic and almost exotic tasting. We ordered four pies twice and one additional pie on the second visit: the Eduardo (buffalo mozz, cherry tomatoes, basil), Napoletana (mozz, tomato sauce, basil, capers,), Carbonara (mozz, spec, and finished with an semi runny egg), the Four Seasons/Quatro Stagiones (buffalo mozz, tomato sauce, olives, mushrooms, artichokes, prosciutto), and on the second occasion, we ordered an additional pie that consisted of buffalo mozz and walnuts. All the pies featured a touch of olive oil and sea salt.
The servers offered a flavorful, chili/red pepper infused oil to use while eating the pizzas that a few of us used to finish up the crusts. The wood-fired pizza oven itself is a spectacle, sporting the notable pizza pulcinella mask. During each visit, I devoured the pizza in a seemingly famished fashion. Rest assured, however, that I was sufficiently fed the entire trip.
Had our experiences ended with the pizza, we would have remained beyond satisfied, but, on our first visit, a particular dessert across the room caught my eye which I had not seen or had (legitimately) in some time. Upon receiving dessert menus, I confirmed that they offered profiteroles, which we then promptly ordered. Profiteroles are dessert puff pastries served with a cold, cream product inside (not quite ice-cream, but something similar) and then topped with melted chocolate-this is a dessert which I have not found once domestically, rather, only a few pathetic attempts which have never come close to the target. It’s safe to say that these were fantastic and I could not have been happier or more gastronomically stimulated.
If you find yourself in Barcelona, I highly recommend seeking out an anomalous meal and visiting La Bella Napoli; their cappuccinos are also on-point.
-Nathan
